The Recreational Killer
by criminalprofiler101
Summary: BOULDER, COLORADO. The BAU team is called in to investigate a series of murders involving siblings on road trips in the area. Eventual Emily/JJ.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, everybody. This is my first story so go easy on me. All mistakes here are mine.**

**BOULDER, COLORADO**

KYLE WILLIAMSON pushed open the door to the RV and jumped out, his sister, Sandra, following him.

Kyle banged on the door to their new friends' trailer. The door to the trailer opened and Sandra laughed as a disheveled Connor Wheeler stood in the doorway.

"What happened to you?" Kyle asked, laughing.

"It's a little something I like to call sleep," Connor mumbled out, rubbing his sleep laden eyes with his fingers, "and anyway, it's three in the morning. What do you guys want?"

"We're taking you on a hike," Kyle said, like it was the most normal thing to take a hike at three in the morning.

"Uhm...no. We'll take one with you in the morning, Kyle." Connor was about to close the door when Kyle jumped into his RV, pushing past him.

"ALLIE! GET UP!" he yelled, "WE'RE TAKING YOU ON A HIKE!"

Connor looked, exasperated, out at Sandra. "Well," he said, "guess we're coming with you. Come on in."

Sandra grinned and walked into the RV, giving Connor a hug and a kiss as she did.

"Hope you slept well!" she said cheerfully as Connor shook more sleep out of his eyes.

Ten minutes later, Kyle and Sandra Williamson and Connor and Allie Wheeler took off onto a dirt path they hadn't taken yet.

"I feel so lost," Allie commented, seeing as it was dark, and they had yet to travel this path.

"Yeah," Sandra murmured back, as she began to feel uneasy.

"Guys?" Sandra called out, "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

Connor rolled his eyes in the light of the lantern.

"You were the one who dragged us here, along with Kyle, now you're saying you don't want to continue?"

"Yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying. I agreed with Kyle at first but I'm getting an uneasy feeling here. I don't think it's such a good idea anymore."

"No. We're just gonna continue. Okay?" Sandra sighed but followed Connor and Kyle as they continued up the slope, Allie beside her.

Shortly after, they heard branches snapping behind them.

"See? I told you! This isn't safe!" Sandra hissed.

"Shut up!" Kyle hissed back at her. Connor put his finger to his lips commanding quiet between the four of them.

The four stood still, not moving a muscle, barely daring to breathe.

They heard the crunching sound again. Allie grabbed Sandra's arm, gripping tightly.

Connor stared, his eyes wide with fear. Sandra could see Kyle shaking with fear.

"Turn off the light," Allie whispered, her voice barely heard over the wind. Connor switched off the lantern. The four were now plunged into total darkness.

They stood stock still for a good ten minutes, not hearing the sound of crunching again.

Connor sighed with relief and turned the light back on. Allie screamed at the top of her lungs. Connor turned around, and the last thing he saw was a man, wielding a board of wood.


	2. Chapter 2

**F.B.I., BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS UNIT**

**QUANTICO, VIRGINIA**

JENNIFER JAREAU sat back in her desk chair, closing her eyes and massaging her temples. Case file number 675 was sitting open on her desk. As the BAU's media liaison, it was her job to pick the next case the BAU worked on. It was tough. She had to see some very gruesome things, and as much as she wanted to help every single one, she could only choose the most gruesome case, the one that she felt would be the best choice for the BAU.

She sat back up, re-opening her eyes and continued flipping through the open case file.

She finally decided that the Miami Police Department could deal with this case on their own and she placed case file number 675 on the growing rejection pile on the top right corner of her desk.

JJ flipped open the next case file, number 676. Stamped over the top was the name BOULDER, COLORADO. She flipped through the pictures, hardly believing what she was seeing, and came to her decision regarding the Boulder case after reading intensively through the reports.

Closing the file, she picked up the phone.

"_Boulder Police Department,"_ came the voice from the other end.

"Hi, this is Agent Jareau from the F.B.I. My team has decided to take your case. We can be in Boulder in a few days." After hearing the thankful reply, she hung up.

Grabbing the case file off her desk, she opened the door to her office and made a beeline for the unit chief of the BAU's office door.

Knocking quickly, she heard the soft 'Come in' from the unit chief. She opened the door.

Aaron Hotchner looked up from his paperwork as JJ walked in.

"Sir? We've got a case. It's pretty bad. Conference room in five." He nodded gravely.

"I'll tell the others. Meet you in five." JJ exited the unit chief's office, now heading to the conference room to set up.

Aaron Hotchner breathed deeply before pushing himself up off his desk and out of his office.

He looked out at the bullpen of the BAU. His other agents were all seated at their desks, laughing together as they worked on paperwork from their last case.

"Guys!" Hotch called out, somewhat hating disturbing their peace, "We've got a case. Conference room in five." Hotch headed out towards the conference room, knocking on fellow agent David Rossi's door as he passed, signaling a case.

Hotch took a seat in the conference room, nodding to JJ.

David Rossi entered next with a, "Good afternoon, Hotch, JJ," to which both nodded back, JJ smiling at him.

Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan and Emily Prentiss all entered together, taking their seats and preparing for the worst.

"Okay," JJ said, clicking her remote and four pictures appeared on the screen.

"These are the latest victims, Kyle and Sandra Williamson and Connor and Allie Wheeler. Their bodies were found two days ago."

"The males' bodies look fresher than the females," Spencer Reid pointed out, looking to the others for confirmation of his statement.

"That's because the males were found two days ago, the females a day before. This also ties in with twelve other murders in the Boulder area.

"All the bodies were found at the same dumpsite, the males one day after than the females."

"What are the relationships between the victims?" Rossi questioned.

"Each set are brothers and sisters who are very close," JJ replied, "Each set met the other at the same RV park near the mountains in Boulder, Colorado."

"So the unsub is targeting brothers and sisters who go on vacation?" Emily Prentiss asked for clarification. JJ nodded.

"The females are found brutally stabbed, some wounds inflicted post-mortem and beaten. They are dumped naked, with huge x's carved into their chests. No signs of sexual assault. The men, however, are found with multiple gunshot wounds, many inflicted post-mortem. There are also no signs of sexual assault."

"So we can rule out this unsub as a sexual sadist. He's not getting any kind of sexual pleasure out of these murders, he's just killing to kill," Morgan stated.

"No," Reid countered, "he's not just killing for the fun of it. He keeps the males for a day longer, that's significant to him. And he has something against women because the way he murders them is a lot more violent then the way he murders men."

JJ clicked the remote and the screen filled with pictures of victims.

"Also, the men were found with ligature marks on their wrists and ankles."

"So this guy is tying up the brothers and making them watch whatever it is he does to their sisters, stabbing them, beating them, calling them names..." Prentiss trailed off, leaving her statement hanging in the air.

"He wants...he wants the brothers...to feel...pain," Reid picked up Prentiss' statement, "I think that he wants the brothers to feel...possibly pain he felt, that's why he kills."

"Yeah, but why now?" Morgan interjected, "Why start killing now? Why the sudden urge over the last two months to start killing people?"

"Something happened to him," Hotch said, finally becoming a part of the profilers' conversation, "Recently. In the past two months. An emotional stressor. It's what set him off, why he decided to kill. Whatever it was holding him together left, died, is gone. He snapped. That's why he keeps the brothers tied up for an extra day. Like Reid said, he wants the brothers to experience the pain of losing their sisters, just like he has to deal with, before killing them."

"These," JJ pointed to the screen, "are the other victims. The first four victims are Matthew and Cameron Brooks and Vinny and Andrea Stevenson. The next four victims are Howard and Gina Monroe and Brian and Jean Caulfield. The last four victims before the most recent ones are Jim and Anne Samuel and Edward and Lisa Baker."

"Let's talk about victimology," Rossi stated.

"There doesn't seem to be any," Prentiss replied, studying the pictures on the screen, "This unsub has the same M.O. but victimology...there are blondes, brunettes, redheads, you name it. Blue eyes, green eyes, brown eyes, again, no visible connection. Besides the fact that they were all brothers and sisters who were very close, victimology isn't going to help us here."

"Prentiss is right," Hotch stated, standing up, "This unsub doesn't have a specific type. Victimology won't do us any good. This case is urgent. They need us, all the help they can get. We'll debrief on the plane and set up a preliminary profile. Get your go bags ready and get down to the airstrip. We leave in fifteen." The profilers nodded and jumped out of their seats, grabbing their case files and following Hotchner outside.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi everybody. Big thanks to those who reviewed the first two chapters; you guys really gave me the confidence to keep going with this. Since my AP exams are finally over I have much more free time to write so I'll most likely try to update once or twice a week. And once again all mistakes here are mine.**

**F.B.I. PRIVATE JET**

THE JET was silent. Stretched across the couch was Reid, sleeping with his arms tucked up under his chest. Across from him was a compartment of four seats, two occupied. Prentiss was asleep, leaning against the window, a book in her lap. Across from her, also leaning against the window was JJ, curled up in the seat with a blanked covering her thin frame.

Sitting near the back of the jet was Hotch, his head leaning backwards, his eyes closed. Rossi was towards the center of the jet, also asleep. Morgan was asleep in a seat next to Reid's couch.

This was one of the few times the BAU team could relax and just rest. They had one more day of flying before they landed in Boulder to take on their next case.

As the morning sun began to stream through the windows, Hotch was the first to open his eyes.

They had debriefed for most of the day yesterday, and had gone to sleep early. It was a much needed asset to the team.

Today the team would be setting up a preliminary profile and discussing jobs for the team once they landed.

Hotch dragged himself up from the seat and made his way into the compartment behind him.

He switched on the coffee pot and began adding ingredients.

"Hey," came a sleepy voice from behind him. Hotch turned to find JJ, running a hand through her messy blonde hair.

"Good morning," he replied. "Are the others awake yet?" JJ inhaled a deep breath, closing her eyes tightly before answering.

"Reid and Prentiss are still asleep. Rossi's...in the bathroom, I think. You need any help?" She asked, motioning towards the coffee pot.

"No, I'm fine, thank you. Why are you up so early?" JJ sighed.

"Couldn't sleep. The nightmares have gotten pretty bad again," she said, finally admitting it out loud. She hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately. The nightmares had thoroughly returned, and they were bad, almost as bad as they had been when she first joined the BAU.

Hotch looked at her, concern etched in his normally stoic features.

"Are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'd prefer not to talk about it. Coffee almost ready?" She was avoiding his eyes and changing the subject.

"JJ—" Hotch began, but was cut off by her.

"Hotch. Drop it. I said I didn't want to talk about it." Her glare was harsh, her blue eyes like ice.

"Alright, but JJ—" he held up his hand to prevent her from interrupting so he could finish his statement, "we all get nightmares. You know that. Everyone on this plane suffers from exactly the same thing. We're all haunted by cases, by victims, by what we see every day. It isn't easy, JJ. You know that. And I'm right here. If you ever need to talk about it, you know where to find me." JJ's eyes softened after hearing what he had to say.

"Thanks, Hotch." He smiled slightly and turned his attention back to the coffee pot.

Another head poked into the compartment.

"Morning, my fellow agents," Rossi said cheerfully, "How's that coffee going, Hotch?"

"Morning, Dave. It's almost ready." Hotch grabbed three cups from the cupboard and shut the pot off, pouring the coffee into the cups. He handed one to JJ, and one to Rossi, keeping the third for himself.

"Thanks for the coffee, Hotch," Rossi said, sipping his drink and returning to his seat.

"You going to be okay?" Hotch asked, casting his gaze onto JJ.

"Yeah," she smiled, gently taking a sip from her mug, "I'll be fine." Hotch nodded, and JJ turned around and wandered back out to find her seat.

Rossi was leaning back in his chair, reading the newspaper and sipping his coffee, his glasses resting comfortably on the bridge of his nose.

"Hey, kid," he called out to JJ as she passed. She turned to face him, gracing him with a smile.

"You okay?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she said, unconvincingly, "I'm fine." Unlike Hotch, Rossi didn't press the subject.

"Okay. You ever want to talk, I'm ready to listen," he said gently, smiling at her.

"Thanks, Rossi." She turned to head back to her seat, but thought better of it, and turned again and sat down in front of Rossi.

"Does this job get to you?" she asked, genuinely surprised at how cheerful he could be.

"Yes. It does. A lot."

"It doesn't seem to bother you that much. You're cheerful a lot; don't you have nightmares?"

Rossi smiled grimly, "I've been doing this job for a lot longer than you have, JJ. I'm constantly haunted by the faces of people we couldn't save, people we just couldn't get there in time to save. I still wake up, hearing people's screams. I've just learned how to deal with it."

"How?" she asked, her tired eyes searching his brown ones for answers.

He sat forward in his chair, taking his glasses off. "No matter how horrific the nightmares are, no matter how horrible it seems when you wake up, you have to think of the good things. Think about the people we do save, the psychos we do catch. It's the only way." He patted her knee and smiled at her.

"You'll be okay, kid. You can get through this. Just do what I said. Think of the good things. It'll get you through it." She felt better after hearing what Rossi had to say.

"Thank you," she said, getting up and returning to her seat opposite Prentiss.

"Anytime, kid."

"Alright, everyone, we'll be landing in Boulder in a few hours," Hotch spoke up, looking around at his agents, "It's time to set up a preliminary profile."

Morgan, Reid, Prentiss and Rossi gathered around Hotch. JJ held back. Not being a profiler sometimes made her feel lesser than the rest of her team. She hung back, allowing them to gather together. She figured no one would miss her.

Prentiss looked around as everyone took their seats, noticing that JJ was missing. She turned back to their seats and her brown eyes locked with JJ's blue.

"Hey, Jayje," Prentiss called, "You're as much of this team as Hotch is. Come sit." JJ blushed as everyone else on the team turned to grin at her.

JJ took the available seat next to Prentiss and sat forward to listen to the profile.

"Okay," Hotch began, "We're looking for a white male in his mid to late thirties. He'll be either very strong or extremely physically fit. He has to abduct four people at a time, two female, two male."

"He'll be average looking," Prentiss picked up, "He won't stand out. He'll look like your everyday average male. And on top of that he'll be friendly, amiable. He's someone you would trust, someone you would go on a hike with, someone you would let sleep over in your RV."

"The only difference between him and your everyday male," Reid began, gesturing with his hands slightly, "is that he is slightly mentally unstable. He's a serial killer. But he's organized, methodical. He has a plan. He only leaves us what he wants us to find. But, he does just dump the bodies. He has no connection to them, he doesn't know them, that's why he doesn't care if the bodies are found."

Morgan picked up where Reid stopped, "He's had an emotional stressor in the past few months, that's what set him off, made him decide to start killing. This unsub, he won't stop killing. He won't stop until he's caught."

"His emotional stressor," Rossi said, glancing around, "was his own sister. This unsub and his sister were very close, they were best friends. They were always there for each other, no matter what. Only finally the unsub's sister got tired and left. Without word, moved, and decided never to return."

"The unsub couldn't handle understanding this and snapped," Hotch picked up, always the one to close up the profile, "and he's destroying others who have the same relationship with their siblings as he did. He's smart and dangerous. We should all be very careful. He knows exactly what he's doing." Hotch finished, looking gravely around at Morgan, Rossi, Prentiss, JJ, and Reid.

"All we can do now," Hotch continued, "is hope we can catch this guy before he harms more innocent people."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm uploading two chapters today because I tend to write quicker when I have a lot of emotions. My grandpa died on Wednesday and it kills me to know that we'll never be at my grandma's house, sitting around with him in the living room anymore, having cake or dinner. I guess it's ironic that the last thing he ever ate was ice cream cake for his 90th birthday last Saturday. He lived a long, good life, even though the Alzheimer's probably made his memories of his life almost non-existant. I know it's better now, because he's in less pain, but it still makes me cry to know that he's gone. Anyway, I'm sorry for this depressing note, but I just needed to let that all out. So, Grandpa, these chapters are dedicated to you. Rest in Peace. You will always be in my heart. **

**BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT**

**BOUDLER, COLORADO**

TWO BLACK SUVs pulled up outside of Boulder's police department. The officers watched as six people got out of them, all but one wearing sunglasses. They all closed their car doors and glanced at each other, one of them pulled their suit jacket back to reveal a Glock holstered on their hip.

The officers looked at each other, shaking their heads in mutual dislike.

"Ugh. F.B.I.," one muttered.

"I hate the F.B.I.," another murmured, "Who called them in? We're perfectly capable of handling this case without the F.B.I.," he finished, scoffing the word 'F.B.I.'

They watched as the six F.B.I. agents walked coolly up towards the door of the police station.

"Sheriff Richardson?" JJ asked the man standing and waiting at the door. He nodded, smiling, taking her hand and shaking it.

"I'm Agent Jareau, we spoke on the phone," she introduced herself.

"Ah, yes. You're even prettier than you sound," Richardson said, cracking a lopsided smile at her. Prentiss felt a tug of annoyance in her gut as Richardson shamelessly let his eyes roam over JJ's body. She felt her hands curling into fists at her side as she fought to not take his head off right then and there.

"Thanks for getting over here so quickly," he finished, his grin still plastered across his face.

JJ smiled awkwardly. "Of course." She began to gesture to the agents behind her.

"These are SSAs Morgan, Hotchner, Rossi, Prentiss and Dr. Reid," she said, pointing to each one in turn.

Richardson shook each of their hands except Reid's who merely waved. "Pleasure to meet you all."

"Uhm," Reid interjected, "do you have a place we can set up?" Richardson looked somewhat taken aback by Reid's forwardness.

"Uhh, yeah. Sure," he pointed to a fairly spacious area in the back of the building, "In the back there."

"Thank you," Reid said, smiling, before taking off to the back of the building, Morgan following him to help.

"Now, Sheriff, if you don't mind I think we'll all be heading back there with Agents Morgan and Reid," Hotch said, smiling slightly.

"Of course, Agent..." Richardson looked stumped for a moment before coming up with a name, "Hotchner."

Prentiss raised her eyebrows at Rossi who shot her a smile before they both followed Hotch and JJ to the back of the station.

"Okay," Hotch said after they'd finished setting up, "we've been stuck here long enough just setting up."

"It would've helped if we didn't have to go searching for everything we needed," Prentiss mumbled under her breath. That got a grin from JJ.

"Interviewing the victims' families wouldn't do us any good, as we know. The victims met the unsub at the trailer park," Hotch continued, pretending he hadn't heard Prentiss' comment, "So, Prentiss, JJ, I'd like you to go to the latest crime scene; take a look at the bodies. Morgan, Reid, I'd like you two to stay here, see if you can come up with anything else. Rossi and myself will go to the RV park and ask around, find out what people know about the Williamsons and the Wheelers, maybe who they visited and hung out with the most. We'll meet back here in a few hours. Get to work," Hotch commanded.

Reid and Morgan turned back in their seats and grabbed their case files, flipping a few pages in and continued reading.

Hotch and Rossi turned and headed out of the station towards one of the SUVs.

Prentiss grabbed her suit jacket and tugged it on. "Let's go Jayje," she called out to JJ and she followed Prentiss away from the piercing, judgmental eyes of the officers and out into the welcoming sunshine.


	5. Chapter 5

**RECREATIONAL VEHICLE TRAILER PARK,**

**BOULDER, COLORADO**

HOTCH PARKED the black SUV at the entrance of the RV park. He pulled the keys out of ignition and opened the vehicles door, stepping out along with Rossi.

They looked around at the people milling around, playing games, sports, laughing, talking, walking together, making dinner...Hotch hated to think that if they BAU didn't catch this unsub, more of these innocent, happy people would die.

"Shall we?" Rossi asked, grinning not so happily at Hotch. He nodded and they went forward toward the park.

The duo walked into the park, glancing at each other before beginning to walk into the maze of RVs.

"HEY!" They heard a voice shout from behind them, "What do you think you're doing!"

A balding man in his late forties hurried up to them.

"I've never seen you two before. You can't just walk in here. You have to have a registration."

"No, you don't understand. I'm Agent Hotchner and this is Agent Rossi," Hotch pointed to Rossi as he spoke his name, flashing his F.B.I. badge, "We're with the F.B.I." The man's eyes opened wide and his mouth dropped open, staring between Hotch and Rossi.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions," Rossi stated. "And then we'd like to walk around and ask your campers some questions as well," Hotch said, looking into the flabbergasted face of the owner.

"Uhh," the man recovered, "Yeah. Sure. Of course. Follow me."

Clyde Jones led Hotch and Rossi into the large owner's house at the front of the property.

"Alright," Jones said, looking between them, "What's this all about?"

Rossi looked at Hotch, unable to believe that this man, the owner of the park no less, had no idea of the sixteen murders that had taken place involving his campers.

"Do you _watch_ the news?" Rossi quipped, not able to hold himself back from commenting.

"No, Agent, no I do not. Not a fan of television myself. I prefer the wide open air," Jones replied, smiling pleasantly at the two men.

"What can you tell me about Sandra and Kyle Williamson?" Hotch asked, chiding Rossi with his eyes.

"Uh," Jones said, shifting his feet, "They were real close. They were really nice people. They were always around, running around, taking hikes, collecting wood for a fire...they loved it here. Haven't seen 'em around lately though, now that you mention it."

"How about the Wheelers," Rossi questioned, "What can you tell us about them?"

Jones scratched his head thoughtfully, "Not much, Agents. They kept to themselves mostly. They were close, though. Hey, I think they were even friends with Sandra and Kyle. What I did see of them, I could tell they were great people. There's not much else I can tell you Agents. I hope I've helped you out."

Hotch sighed, "You've done all you can. Thank you." Hotch and Rossi turned to go but Jones called out to them.

"Hey Agents, what's happened to them? Why's the FBI around here?" Hotch turned around to face him.

"Mr. Jones, with all due respect, I think the less you know, the better. Now, if you'll excuse us." Hotch turned around again and began walking to the door with Rossi following.

"Agents?" He called out again. Rossi and Hotch turned to face him.

"Yes, Mr. Jones?" Rossi asked, in the politest voice he could for being aggravated.

"I know them. They're taking their vacations here. I own this place. I think, no matter how you feel, that I have a right to know why the FBI is down here prowling around," Jones stated fiercely.

"Look, Mr. Jones," Hotch spoke up again, "I'm going to say it again. The less you know, the better. Now excuse us. We have a job to do." Hotch shot Jones a glare before pushing out into the park, Rossi on his heels.

"That went well," he commented.

"If Jones doesn't already know then he doesn't need to. Once he finds out there's a serial killer living here he'll shut the place down faster than you and I can pull out our guns. We need this place open, or we have virtually no chance of finding our unsub," Hotch stated, looking around at the people.

"Hotch, I know. I get that. Now, let's find some people to question." The two walked up to a family preparing a meal.

"Excuse me?" Hotch spoke to them. The father looked up.

"What can I do for you fellas?" the man asked, taking in their formal attire; their suits and their dark sunglasses.

Hotch and Rossi pulled out their FBI badges, showing them to the father as Hotch spoke, "My name is Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, this is Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi," he said gesturing to Rossi, "We're with the FBI. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions." The man looked so nervous to be in the presence of FBI agents.

"Yeah. Wow. Uh FBI. Yeah. Sure. Of course. What's going on?"

Rossi pulled out a few photographs, "Do you know these people?" The man squinted to get a better look.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't recall ever seeing them. I'm very sorry." Rossi smiled.

"That's quite alright sir," he said.

"Thank you for your time," Hotch said, immediately turning to look for more people to question.

Rossi spotted a woman with her three children. The two agents walked up to her.

"Ma'am?" Hotch asked. She looked up at them.

"Yes?"

Hotch spoke again, "I'm Agent Hotchner and this is Agent Rossi, we're with the FBI. We'd like to ask you a few questions."

The woman nodded quickly, pushing her son towards the door of the trailer.

The little boy reminded Hotch of his own son, Jack. He missed him, a lot. But that's what came with this job.

Rossi held out the photographs again, "Do you know these people?" The woman stepped closer and looked at the photos.

She pointed to the picture of Sandra and Kyle, "I know them. They were always around here playing with my kids. Really nice people. Haven't seen them in a while though."

"Can you tell me anything about them?"

"Uhh," the woman said thoughtfully, "Well they're from Texas, I know that. They're really close, they get along great. Oh!" She pointed to the other photo Rossi was still holding, "They hung out a lot with them. That's really all I can tell you," she said apologetically.

"Thank you for your time," Rossi stated, and they turned around yet again to find someone else to question.

Hotch's phone began to ring. He pulled the phone from his pocket and answered.

"Hotchner."

"_Hey, Hotch, it's Reid._"

"Reid. Anything new?"

"_Unfortunately, no. Not yet. We've got nothing. But what about you? You and Rossi find out anything we don't already know?_" Hotch could hear the strain in Reid's voice.

"No. Same with us. Nothing new, nothing we don't already know about these people. The two people we've questioned...well one told us nothing and the other one seemed to forget that we were FBI and that we most likely knew they were from Texas already. That's all we've got. Thanks for calling, though. I'll call you if we get anything good," Hotch said to him.

"_Okay, sounds good," _Reid replied. Hotch hung up and returned the phone to his pocket.

"Anything from Reid?" Rossi questioned.

"No. He and Morgan have about just as much as we do at this point," Hotch replied, looking around for another person to question.

They approached another family who were all sitting together playing cards.

"Excuse me?" Rossi butted in, the entire family looking up at him, "I'm Agent Rossi and this is Agent Hotchner. We're with the FBI," Rossi finished, flashing his badge to the family, "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Uhh...of course," the mother stated when she could tell that the father was about to tell them off.

Hotch spoke, "We understand this is inconvenient sir," he said to a man whose mouth hung open as Hotch read his signals, "and that you'd much rather not be bothered by the FBI and continue playing games with your family. Unfortunately for you, we're only here to help. To get some information. We're sorry to inconvenience you but we're really just doing our job."

The seven year old boy stared up at Hotch, "Woah," he said, "are you some kinda superhero? You just like...read Daddy's mind!" Hotch smiled genuinely at the little boy before answering.

"No, I'm not a superhero. I'm a profiler from the BAU. That's the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. We study human emotion and behavior and why bad people do what they do."

"That's so cool," the boy said, looking at Hotch with utter respect, appreciation and awe. Rossi noticed the father was becoming jealous, "Do you go around and catch bad guys or do you only study them?" Hotch chuckled.

"We catch them, buddy. All the time. Our team is pretty cool." The boy was totally awestruck with Hotch.

"You're really awesome," the boy said, grinning at Hotch.

Hotch smiled back and held his fist out for the boy to pound, which he did.

"Special FBI code," Hotch informed the kid.

"Really?"

"You bet. We use it all the time out on the field."

"You're so cool Agent Hotchner!" The boy yelled, grinning. Rossi couldn't believe the kid remembered Hotch's name.

"Well thank you, buddy. Now, if you don't mind, me and Agent Rossi are going to ask your parents some questions, is that okay?" The young boy nodded quickly, eager to watch Hotch in questioning.

Rossi produced the photographs again and spoke, "Have you seen any of these people?"

The father answered and he clearly wasn't happy about his son's enamorment with Hotch.

"No. We haven't seen them. Are they missing or something?"

Rossi narrowed his eyes at the hostility in the man's voice, "For all intensive purposes, sure, they're missing."

"Well we haven't seen them."

'Thank you for your time," Hotch said and the two began to walk away.

"Bye, Agent Hotchner!" the boy called out. Hotch turned around and waved.

Rossi chuckled as they walked forward, "Looks like you've got yourself a fan."

Hotch smiled slightly, and the two continued forward to find more people to question.

"Excuse me?" Rossi said to a young girl walking.

"Yeah, how can I help you?" she said warmly, pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes.

"I'm Agent Hotchner and this is Agent Rossi, we're from the FBI," Hotch said, getting tired of doing the same thing over and over again, "We'd like to ask you some questions."

"Yeah, sure, anything you guys need," the girl said.

Rossi pulled out the photographs again. "Have you seen these people?"

"Oh, yeah, I used to hang out with them. Awesome people."

"Do you know who else they hang out with?" Hotch asked.

"Uhh, not by name, sorry. A blonde guy a lot, a black-haired guy, some girls...oh, a brunette girl a lot...I'm sorry, but that's all I've got," the blonde girl said, shrugging.

"No, thank you for the information," Hotch said, and they turned away.

"Well we're certainly hitting the Jackpot in information here," Rossi stated sarcastically.

An hour or so later, they had questioned more people and had no results.

"We should head back," Rossi said to Hotch. "We're not gonna accomplish much here."

Hotch nodded. "I know, it just...makes me uneasy."

Rossi glanced at him, "I know." The two agents turned and headed back to their SUV parked at the front of the RV park.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey everybody. I know it's been a while since I've updated but I've been extra busy studying for all my Regents Exams. Had my Chemistry Regents today (which happens to be the last one) so it is now offically summer for me! Summer Assignments aside, I will continue to do my best at updating regularly. Hope you guys like this chapter. **

**WILLIAMSON/WHEELER CRIME SCENE**

THE BLACK SUV pulled up alongside the crime scene. Prentiss shut off the engine and glanced at the blonde media liaison sitting next to her. She could sense JJ's uneasiness.

"Hey," she said, putting her hand on JJ's shoulder, "Are you okay?" JJ looked up, locking her eyes with Prentiss'.

"Yeah, I'm okay...it's just that...I know we see this stuff all the time, but...I don't always see fresh bodies. I'm a little...nervous, I guess. I know it sounds stupid," JJ said, blushing as she looked to her feet.

"It's not stupid at all, JJ," Prentiss replied, reaching down to grab JJ's pale hand, "and if you get really uncomfortable, you tell me and I'll walk you back up here or take you aside and make sure you're okay. Sound good?" JJ brought her blue eyes up to meet Prentiss' again. She smiled and squeezed the hand that held hers warmly.

"Sounds great, Em, thanks." Prentiss smiled lopsidedly at her.

"Anytime. Now let's get out there," Prentiss said, nodding towards the scene milling with officers and coroners that was taped off with yellow 'CRIME SCENE: DO NOT CROSS' banners, "We've got a job to do."

Prentiss opened the door to the SUV and slammed it closed, putting on her dark sunglasses and looking over at JJ. The two began to make their way towards the crime scene.

An officer looked up at them as they walked under the crime scene tape.

"Can I help you ladies?" he asked, smiling particularly at JJ.

Prentiss pulled out her badge and showed it to the officer as she spoke, "I'm Agent Prentiss and this is Agent Jareau. We're with the FBI."

The officer stared before replying, "Oh. Right. I was, umm, told to expect the FBI. You're here to view the bodies, right?" Prentiss glared at the officer.

"That's right."

"Come this way." JJ raised her eyebrows at Prentiss as they followed the officer.

Prentiss pulled on her gloves and began to walk closer to JJ, leaning down so as not to be overheard by anyone else.

"Do you believe this guy?" she asked. JJ turned her head to face Prentiss as they walked.

"Yeah, I know. 'I was told to expect the FBI.' Yeah, did you see the way he looked at us when we told him we were FBI? Sexist jerk," she said, her blue eyes flashing with anger.

"He was obviously expecting someone like Hotch or Rossi. I bet he would've scoffed if Reid was sent down here, too."

"I don't know what these people's problems are," JJ said, brushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "It's like they've ever seen an attractive woman or any woman for that matter in a position of authority."

Prentiss grinned, a joking twinkle in her eye, "Oh, 'attractive woman in a position of authority' flattering yourself much there, Agent Jareau?"

JJ grinned, bumping her shoulder against Prentiss', "Shut up." Prentiss let out a laugh.

"Here they are," the officer said, gesturing towards the four haphazardly thrown bodies covered with white tarps.

"Thank you, officer," JJ said, smiling tightly at him. The officer nodded to them and walked away.

"I bet," Prentiss said, raising her eyebrow at JJ, "he's going to go to gossip with his officer pals about the two female FBI agents he met." JJ smirked and pulled on her gloves.

Prentiss pulled the tarp off the body and squatted down next to it. JJ stood awkwardly by her side.

"God...this unsub really decimated these victims," JJ said, horror registering on her face. Prentiss ignored her, studying the body intently. She then got up, re-covered the body and moved to the next body, JJ trailing the profiler.

Prentiss squatted by the body, studying it the same way she'd done with the previous one.

JJ was feeling uneasy. She squatted down next to Prentiss and leaned gently against her.

"We're not going to accomplish much here," Prentiss said, turning to look at JJ, "Seeing these bodies only confirms the profile. Nothing more we can do. Let's head back." JJ looked at her gratefully.

The duo stood and began walking back up to the SUV parked on top of the hill.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know its been a while since I've updated but I'm still working on some major changes I've made to this story and then life got in the way...anyway here is the next chapter that I've meant to post for a while. **

**BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT,**

**BOULDER, COLORADO**

IT WAS late. The dark warm evening air diffused through the windows at the station, wafting around the remaining officers and the six worn out FBI agents.

Reid was pacing, his face scrunched up in thought, he walked back and forth, his mouth moving mutely. Rossi was leaning back in his chair, staring at the board they'd put together, his eyes unblinking. Morgan was sitting in a chair, staring at the case file, his head in his hands. His eyes were tired and he was obviously trying to keep them open. Hotch sat in a chair across from Morgan, also studying the case file intently. Prentiss was sitting on the floor, with her back against the wall, her legs stretched out in front of her and the case file laying in her lap. JJ was asleep on the floor, her head resting on Prentiss' shoulder and a case file scrunched up between her legs, which were pulled up to her chest.

Prentiss took her eyes off the case file and glanced down at JJ who was sleeping on her shoulder. She'd always found the blonde press liaison beautiful, but here, with her sleeping so peacefully, all the care and stress erased from her face, she looked positively stunning; even more so than ever.

She returned her eyes to the case file on her lap, sighing as she brought a hand up to rub her eyes. She looked around at the team, all of them looking as she felt: like they had absolutely nothing more on this unsub.

Morgan slammed his hand down on the table. Hotch jumped at the impact, clearly not expecting it. Reid stopped pacing and Rossi swiveled around. Prentiss stared up at Morgan, careful not to awake JJ.

"Argh! What the hell?!" Morgan yelled, "Why can't we get anything on this bastard?" Some of the officers turned to stare at the six FBI agents huddled in the back of the precinct.

"Morgan," Hotch reprimanded with his cool, soothing voice, "We're doing all we can. You know that. Aside from four more bodies being thrown in our faces, we're doing everything we can." Morgan nodded his head, defeated.

Morgan liked to be in control. He was good at controlling situations with unsubs who stonewalled them. As a man of control, Morgan hated to be behind an unsub, to be unable to understand what he was doing and being able to pinpoint his next move. He absolutely hated being defeated by someone like this.

Rossi swiveled back in his chair to face the board again and Reid began his pacing and muttering. Hotch and Prentiss returned their eyes to the case files.

Richardson made his way over to them, "How're you all doing back here?" He genuinely asked. Prentiss furrowed her eyebrows as she saw Richardson's eyes travel quickly over JJ. She moved a little closer to JJ and glared at him, even though the man was paying her no attention.

Hotch responded to him, "Unfortunately, as you may have heard Agent Morgan's outburst, we are not doing so well."

"You're the FBI!" an officer abruptly yelled at him, "You're supposed to help! Not only are you the FBI, but you're the BAU! You're supposed to notice little things that we don't notice! But you can't! The almighty FBI can't find anything the lowly town officers didn't already show you!" Rossi and Hotch were on their feet at this point in the officers' rant. Prentiss wanted to be as well, but she had JJ lying on her shoulder. Reid was glaring at the man as he continued his onslaught at them.

"You look down on _us_ yet look at you! Look at the BAU! It's made up of an old man, a black man, some skinny kid, two woman and you," he pointed his finger at Hotch, "Some middle-aged man who _looks_ like FBI but acts like a guy who should be at home with his family. You're a group of...I don't know what. And you aren't doing us any good!" Morgan was on his feet, yelling now.

"That's ENOUGH!" he howled, "You watch your mouth!" Hotch looked at Richardson.

"Agent Morgan is right. That was way over the line. You asked for our help, we're giving it to you. The BAU is an elite team. Only the best profilers are a part of this team. Sheriff, we're only here to help you catch a serial killer. We're not here to be criticized." Richardson shook his head at the officer.

"Go home." Richardson said to him, and walked forward to escort the officer out.

The FBI agents stared after them, their anger cooling inside them.

Rossi was the first to sit back down, followed by Hotch. Reid took a deep breath and continued with his pacing. Finally, Morgan sat down. Prentiss couldn't believe what that man had said, and she also couldn't believe JJ hadn't woken up during that.

"The nerve of some people," Morgan growled under his breath.

"Morgan," Hotch spoke in a whispered voice, "We know these people resent us. Let's show them that we're better than them. You know none of what he said is true. Don't let it get to you." Morgan nodded.

"Hotch, I know. I get that. I just don't take to well to racist people who judge just on looks and not on abilities."

"I understand that Morgan. But you need to, we all need to, rise above that. They're just trying to get to you. Don't let it bother you." Morgan sighed, nodding to Hotch and returning to the case file.

All of a sudden, Reid grabbed a marker and began scribbling on an empty spot on one of the boards.

"Guys," he said, "I think I found something."

"What is it Reid?" Hotch asked.

"A pattern. Look," he pointed to his writing on the board, "Here was the first kill. The next kill was two weeks later. The next kill was also two weeks later. But, here's something we can use: the next kill, the Williamsons and the Wheelers, happened three weeks after the last kill." The team perked up at that; at last they had something more to profile.

"Remorse," Morgan spoke up, "The unsub was starting to feel bad about killing so many people that he needed a break. Before the Williamsons and the Wheelers caught his eye he was feeling remorseful."

"No way," Prentiss spoke up from the floor, "I saw those bodies up close. There was no remorse there at all."

"Maybe," came JJ's voice. Prentiss jumped and the team all turned around to face her, still leaning on Prentiss' shoulder, "It was just harder getting to know these people and getting them to trust him. That's why it took three weeks instead of his usual two."

"That's an excellent idea! I mean, even Hotch and Rossi said that some people said that they kept mostly to themselves—that would hinder the unsub's plan."

Hotch nodded, pleased they'd come up with something.

"I've noticed something else," Rossi said, jerking his head towards the map where they'd marked the abduction site and the dump site with push pins.

"There has to be some sort of middle ground. After he abducts them, he holds them for three days before killing the women, four days before killing the men. He's torturing them, beating them, he can't do this in this in the trailer park."

"He has to have access to a house of some sort," Reid concluded, "Or a barn or abandoned garage. A spacious but run-down place where no one lives anymore."

"Do we have anything on the geographical profile?" Hotch asked him.

"Well we have the dump site and the abduction site," Reid said, "But I need a third point to triangulate."

"Have Garcia check out abandoned warehouses, homes, buildings, within a twenty mile radius. He can't be going far with four bodies." Hotch turned and began walking towards the door.

"You got it," Reid said before looking up, "Hey, where are you going?" Hotch stopped and turned to face the team.

"I just have something I need to take care of." With that, he turned and left the precinct.

"Well that was weird," Rossi commented, before turning back to the board.

"I'll call Garcia," Prentiss said, shifting her weight to grab her cell from her pocket.

Penelope Garcia's ever cheerful voice flooded Prentiss' ears as she picked up the phone.

"You have reached the office of all things true and powerful, so speak, mortal, and be recognized by your goddess!"

Prentiss chuckled at the technical analysts speech before replying, "Hey Garcia, it's Prentiss."

"What can I do for you, gorgeous?" Garcia asked, cheerful as ever. Prentiss could hear her tapping away at her keyboard.

"I need you to check any kinds of abandoned buildings, particularly homes or garages or warehouses, within a twenty mile radius of the abduction site."

"Ha!" Garcia laughed, typing furiously away, "You taunt me with such a simple request. When I know, you'll know, my brunette agent. Adios!"

"Thanks," Prentiss squeezed in before the line went dead. She placed her phone on the ground and closed her eyes, leaning back against the wall. She could hear JJ's even breathing, and assumed her colleague had fallen asleep again. She didn't want JJ to wake up because she didn't want her to move. She didn't ever want to move from this position. Because even if it was only for a fleeting moment she could pretend that the two of them were something more than just friends.

Sighing heavily and opening her eyes, she saw Hotch return to his seat.

"What'd Garcia say?" he asked.

"She's getting back to us," Prentiss responded. She noted that everyone seemed more at ease now. Reid had even stopped pacing and was sitting at the head of the table where both Hotch and Morgan were.

Prentiss' phone began to ring and JJ jumped awake, the rest of the team turning around.

"Talk to me, Garcia!" Prentiss answered, motioning for someone to get her a pen and paper. Morgan chucked his pen at her and Hotch handed her Reid's pad or paper.

"Well, well, aren't we eager?" Garcia, said, a grin in her voice, "Well, I've got six abandoned places in said twenty-mile radius. There's two fairly large warehouses, three abandoned homes, complete with garages by the way, my pretty, and one kind of shack thing—one floor." Garcia then read her a string of addresses.

"Oh, you're amazing. Thanks Garcia."

"Tell me something I don't know, princess!" Garcia stated before ending the phone call.

"We've got something," Prentiss said, her and JJ standing up, "Six abandoned buildings. There's a good chance we'll catch him there. He'll have an elaborate setup and he'll want to clean up after the murders."

"Let's go, now," Hotch said, "We can suit up in the cars." The team broke into a sprint, following Hotch out past several stunned officers and towards the two black SUVs parked outside the precinct.

Hotch, Prentiss and JJ jumped into the first vehicle while Reid, Rossi and Morgan jumped into the other.

All six agents placed their communication devices in their ears. They were on speakerphone with the others on Hotch's phone.

"I'll take the first warehouse, Rossi you take the second," Hotch shouted as he sped along the road, "Prentiss you and JJ take houses number one and two, they're close to each other. Reid and Morgan take house three and the shack. Morgan take the house, Reid take the shack. We'll radio back."

"Sounds good Hotch!" came Rossi's voice from the other line.

"Everyone suit up, come on!" Hotch shouted before hanging up the phone.

JJ velcroed on her blue Kevlar vest that had the letters 'FBI' printed across the chest. She tossed Prentiss a vest from the back seat.

"Thanks JJ," she called as she pulled the vest over her head, snapping the velcro in place.

Hotch screeched to a halt outside the warehouse and jumped out.

"I'll radio back," he said before drawing his gun. Prentiss nodded and handed him a bulletproof vest, climbing across into the driver's side. She stepped on the gas and tore off towards the abandoned houses.

Hotch stopped and stood still, waiting, far beyond the point that tires crunching against gravel could still be heard.

He gripped his Glock tightly, cautiously making his way to the front of the warehouse.

The door creaked open, as if it had been waiting for him. The night air was cool yet heavy. His breath came out in puffs in front of him. Cautiously, he entered the warehouse.

* * *

Prentiss pulled the SUV up outside of house number one. She and JJ climbed out, drawing her guns.

"I'll take this one, you take the second," she whispered to JJ before turning towards the house.

Frantic, JJ grabbed Prentiss' wrist, turning her around to face her.

"No way. We are not splitting up," she said fiercely, her terrified blue eyes boring into Prentiss' brown.

As JJ stared at Prentiss, a wild look in her eyes, she couldn't help but be transported back, to a farm in the country.

_"JJ!" Reid called out to her from the side of the house, "Get back here!" She hurried over to him._

_"He's the unsub! He's in the barn, come on!" Reid hurried off running to the barn. JJ quickly ran off after him. They both crouched down near the barn, Reid drawing his gun in the process._

_"He's in here," Reid stated, nodding at the barn. JJ looked around unsure._

_"Are you sure?" _

_"Ever seen me pull this thing out when I wasn't?" He responded back, his eyes darting around, "Call Hotch." _

_"We're in the middle of nowhere, Reid. We have no cell service." Reid looked at her, before averting his eyes to the ground. _

_"Ah, great. Of course we have no service." JJ glanced uneasily around. _

_"What do we do?" _

_"I don't know," Reid responded, "He's definitely in here." JJ pulled her gun out of its holster, holding it tightly in front of her. _

_"You cover the front," he said, bravely, "I'm gonna go around back. Hotch knows we came here, he'll come looking for us! We'll just wait him out!" And just like that he was gone. _

_"No__—__no__—__no Reid! Are you sure we should__—__" He was already around the side, "__—__split up." _

_"JJ! JJ! He's out back!" Reid called out to her, after spotting Hankel in the corn field. _

_JJ faintly heard Reid's voice floating to her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. _

_"What?" She could feel her chest rising and falling quickly. She was scared, to say the least. She'd never done something like this before. She was the media liaison. She didn't do field work. _

_She shakily stood to her feet, holding tightly to her Glock and raising it up in front of her. She stood for a moment before entering the barn._

_"Reid?" It was eerie and dark in the barn. She held her flashlight in her other hand, crossed against the hand holding her gun. _

_"Reid?" She called out, unsure where her colleague and friend was. She heard creaking; chains hanging from the ceiling. She lowered her voice as she called out again._

_"Reid?" She uncertainly took a few more steps before feeling her shoe covered in something. _

_She hastily pulled her foot back and shone her flashlight down at the ground. She could feel herself shaking. She was so scared. _

_Blood. She'd stepped in a pool of blood. She closed her eyes, her breath catching in her throat as she shone her flashlight upwards, and discovered what she feared. A bed, covered in blood and ripped apart human flesh. She shuddered, before hearing a growl coming from the corner of the barn._

_Shaking, she shone her flashlight in the direction of the growl, only to be met with the flashing, menacing yellow eyes and bared fangs of a dog, trained to eat human flesh. She spun her flashlight around, and was met with the same yellow eyes and bared fangs of more dogs. They charged. _

_JJ screamed and started shooting. She was covered in blood now. She threw herself in a corner, hiding, shaking, and wishing Reid was with her. _

_The next thing she knew, she heard car doors slamming, people shouting. Her nerves were frazzled, she couldn't register anything. She heard people enter the barn. She had to protect herself. She jumped up from her hiding spot, her gun pointed at the intruders._

_"FBI!" She screamed, and found herself staring down the guns of Morgan and Prentiss. _

_Two voices cried out simultaneously, each one distinct. _

_"JJ!"_

_"Jayje, stop!" The first was Morgan's cry, the second Prentiss'. _

_"DON'T MOVE!" She screamed, her gun shifting positions between Morgan and Prentiss. _

_"It's Morgan!" he yelled at her, "JJ, it's Morgan and Prentiss. Don't shoot. It's okay." JJ let her gun fall, her terrified blue eyes darting quickly around the barn. She could barely register that Morgan was speaking. She was in a stupor. _

_"Are you hurt?" Morgan questioned, holstering his gun and noting the blood on her. Prentiss came up next to her; she vaguely felt her hand on her shoulder._

_"Tobias Hankel is the unsub," she said, stating the obvious. Morgan glanced around at Prentiss and the state officer before responding. _

_"Yeah we know." The state officer pulled out his cell. _

_"I'm callin' an ambulance." _

_"Yeah," Morgan replied to him, returning his attention to the frazzled woman in front of him. _

_"Yeah well we just thought he was a witness," JJ continued before holstering her gun. She glanced around, her eyes darting. She could see the dead dogs on the ground, evidently Morgan did as well, and she could feel their blood on her clothes and face, in her hair. _

_"I had to kill them," her broken voice floated out. _

_"JJ, where's Reid?" Morgan asked, noticing for the first time he wasn't around. Worry became etched in his eyes._

_"They just...completely tore her apart," JJ continued on, her eyes focused on the ground, "There's nothing even left of her." All of a sudden, one voice cut through her haze, one voice saved her. _

_"JJ. Look at me." Prentiss. Without moving her unblinking eyes, she turned her head to face Prentiss, her scared blue eyes finding solace in Prentiss' warm, concerned brown ones. _

_"Look at me. Where's Reid?" She asked gently. JJ could finally speak words that were useful. Morgan was baffled when she answered, yet relieved. _

_"Oh. We split up. He said he was gonna go around back." Morgan left the barn, running around back to find Reid. _

_The next thing JJ registered was that she was sitting on the back of an ambulance, seeing the worried faces of her team members. _

_After having a few words with the state officer, Prentiss approached her. _

_"We can't find Reid?" JJ asked, scared and concerned for her friend. She wasn't a profiler but she could defiantly see Prentiss' hesitation to answer. _

_She shook her head, "Not yet." Oh God. That was all that registered in JJ's head. Reid was gone. And it was probably all her fault. _

_JJ didn't fully register that Reid had been taken until Tobias Hankel sent them a live video stream of Reid, tied to a chair, dirty, beaten and shaking with fear. _

"If something were to happen to you...and we had split up, I would never be able to forgive myself," JJ said, looking at Prentiss, hoping she would understand where she was coming from, and why they couldn't split up. Reid being taken was her fault, she knew it. If she hadn't let him go off alone, and had had his back, he would not have had to go through the torture he'd gone through.

Prentiss nodded. "I understand. You can't go through what happened to Reid again. We'll check out both houses together, okay?"

JJ nodded back, fear still present in her eyes. She would never get over what happened to Reid. And she'd be damned if she let it happen again to another person she cared deeply about.

The duo cautiously walked to the front door, guns drawn and held in front of them.

Prentiss reached down and jiggled the door knob. Locked. She turned and whispered to JJ.

"I'm going to have to break it down. Cover me." JJ nodded. Prentiss re-established her grip on her Glock and turned to the side. She kicked out her right leg, smashing the door in.

* * *

The SUV containing Rossi, Reid and Morgan screeched to a halt outside the second warehouse.

Rossi hopped out, drawing his gun and nodding to the two remaining agents in the vehicle, indicating that he was all set and that he'd call in after clearing the house or apprehending the unsub.

Morgan stepped on the gas and left Rossi standing outside the warehouse.

Rossi took a deep breath and held his gun up in front of him, hurrying up to the door. He pushed through it, entering into the darkness of the building.

* * *

Morgan and Reid skidded the car to a halt outside if the shack. Reid moved to exit the car but Morgan stopped him.

"Reid." The genius turned to face him, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? It's a little shack. You can clear it and then just ride with me to the other house." A look of anger crossed the young man's face.

"Are you trying to suggest that-"

"I'm not trying to suggest anything man. I'm just taking a precaution, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you," Morgan interrupted, concern etched in his features, "None of us could go through that again. I'm sure you couldn't either. You almost died. I'm just trying to keep you safe." Reid was obviously displeased, and the profiler could feel that. Morgan was about to say something else but Reid angrily shot a sentence at him.

"I don't need you to protect me, Morgan. I can handle myself, I can do my job." And with that Reid jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind him and heading for the entrance to the broken down shack.

Morgan slammed his hand on the wheel and pulled away from the shack, programming the address to the third house into his GPS.

Reid paused at the front door of the shack and briefly let his thoughts travel to Tobias Hankel and his personality disorder and extreme psychosis which was enhanced by his Dilaudid addiction. He felt tears in his eyes as the memories were dredged up again. He never wanted to go through what he had again. Going through torture finally made him fully understand what victims felt like being tortured, what they felt like the moments before they were kidnapped.

He shook the memories away, back to their little compartment in the back of his incredible mind.

Carefully Reid drew his gun, brushing a strand of his long brown hair behind his ear before gently pushing the door to the shack open and stepping inside.

* * *

Morgan pulled up outside the third house, stepping out quickly, drawing his Glock and snapping on the flashlight attached to the gun.

He quickly jogged to the front door, breaking it down and flashing his gun around the living room.

He caught movement in a corner.

"FBI!" Morgan yelled, catching the person off guard, "Don't move!" The man took a step forward.

"I SAID DON"T MOVE!" Morgan screamed, reaching around to grab his handcuffs from his back pocket.

The man put his hands in the air, backing himself up to the wall.

Morgan heard another noise from behind him and swiveled around. The next thing he knew he felt something heavy connect with his skull.

He could vaguely hear voices above him.

"What was that for?" came the first voice.

"Are you stupid, Shane?" came the second, "He's FBI. You wanna get busted for drug possession _and_ the murder of that kid? Yeah, you remember that, right Shane?" Morgan grimaced, groaning as he rolled over onto his side.

"No, now we're gonna get even more busted! Jimmy, he's FBI! FBI!"

"Shut up Shane! Shut up!" That's the last thing Morgan remembered before blacking out.


End file.
